The Mother's Day Present
by icekings
Summary: Every May we honor that special someone in our lives. Does Mother's Day hold the same meaning for the Powerpuff Girls?


The Mother's Day Present

  


By Gary Curtis

  


Powerpuff Girls created by Craig McCracken. All related characters owned by Cartoon Network

This story is dedicated to the memory of my Mom, Mildred Curtis (1924-2000) and to all mothers everywhere.

It wasn't the typical early May Saturday in Townsville. Oh, it was warm and sunny and about as perfect as a spring day gets, but this day there weren't any monsters tearing the city apart. Mojo Jojo wasn't doing anything bad, nor were any of the other villains in town. So Professor Utonium and the Powerpuff Girls were able to get their regular Saturday morning grocery shopping finished, and they had the whole day for other things. 

They decided to head downtown, to walk the sidewalks and say hello to the friendly folk of the city. Maybe, the professor told them, they could find some bargains on some summer outfits, and he might find that perfect gadget to help him in his laboratory. Townsville had many places to shop; large department stores and quaint little specialty shops, and everything in between.

As the professor walked, the girls floating alongside at shoulder level, he spied a sign in the window of 'The Mother of Invention', his favorite store. Blossom saw the sign, too, and flew to get in the way of him seeing it, or he might be in there for hours. But she was too slow.

"Wow! All unproven theories ninety percent off!"

"Aw, Professor!"

"Now, Blossom, I promise I won't be that long." He reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. Giving each of them a quarter, he said, "Here, go get yourselves some candy and then wait for me."

Bubbles stared at the coin in her palm. "A _quarter_?"

"Professor, you _really_ need to get out more." Buttercup told him. "The only penny candy I've ever seen is in the museum."

He wasn't buying it. "Buttercup, you can get a whole _bag_ of candy in the dollar store. More than what you three need." But he took back the change and handed two dollars to Blossom. "Besides, I'm not _that_ old."

* * * * * * * * * *

They started across the street. Buttercup muttered, "No, but he _will_ be when he finally comes out of _there_."

But she had gotten extra money out of it, and that two dollars would go a long way in Mr. Cooper's shop. All of a sudden, she heard Bubbles yelling, "Girls, look!"

They saw Big Billy, one of the Gangreen Gang, standing outside of Cooper's Market like he was acting as a lookout.

Blossom cried, "Oh no! The Gangreen Gang is robbing Mr. Cooper!"

They raced over there, past Billy and into the shop.

"I thought we warned you guys for the last time about breaking the law!" Blossom shouted. 

"But, we ain't!" answered Ace, the leader, shrinking back in fear. Everyone else in the shop looked shocked, too, especially Mr. Cooper, behind the cash register. Bubbles gave him a tiny wave and a little smile, but he was too surprised to notice. That's when the girls saw the gang members waiting patiently in line to pay for items they were holding.

"Sssssee," said Snake, his reptile-like tongue flitting nervously, "I jussst gotssss a card for my momssss!"

Blossom saw that he did just have a Mother's Day card in his hands. So did the other three, though to her it looked like Grubber couldn't decide if he should give it to his mom or eat it.

Buttercup's natural distrust caused her to say, "Oh yeah? Then why's Billy outside being the lookout? You guys were about to pull something!"

Ace waved his hands defensively. "No, no, Buttercup, we made him stay out 'dere 'cause we didn't wanna take a chance on breakin' _no _law! Honest!" He pointed toward the door, where they could see Billy smiling in dumbly at them. He waved. There was a sign on the glass that the girls hadn't noticed, and they floated over to look.

'No Large Bills'

Buttercup slapped her palms to her forehead. "Oh, brother!"

Bubbles opened the door.

"Duh, hi, Powerpuff Girls!"

"It's OK, Billy, you can come in." she told him. He did and went to look at the cards. Blossom noticed that other people in the small mom-and-pop store had cards along with their groceries. 

"The boys have been perfect gentlemen since they came in." Mr. Cooper said with a smile, relieved that his store wasn't going to be damaged this day.

"Si." Li'l Arturo agreed. "Eet weel make mi madre _very_ happy to know that I deed not steal thees card!"

A bit embarrassed, Blossom said, "Well…OK, carry on!", and they excused themselves from the scene. 

"I guess even criminals love their mothers." Bubbles said thoughtfully, out on the sidewalk. They saw the professor coming toward them.

"Done _already_?" Buttercup was truly amazed.

"I can see why those theories are ninety percent off." he answered with a smirk. "You get what you pay for. Did you girls get what you wanted?"

They'd forgotten all about the candy. They were all thinking the same thing, too, and Blossom spoke for all of them. "I changed my mind." Her sisters nodded.

"Good." he said. "It would have spoiled your lunch, anyway."

They continued along the sidewalk. He noticed that they seemed a little subdued, deep in thought about something. "Everything all right, girls?"

"Huh? Oh, sure!" Bubbles smiled brightly at him. But she thought, _"How sad! Prob'ly the only ones who love criminals are their moms."_

"Oh, yeah, Professor. We ran into the Gangreen Gang but they weren't doin' anything bad." Blossom explained. _"Why do I feel so down all of a sudden?"_

"And they better keep it that way!" Buttercup said, scowling. _"Gee. I guess they ain't _that_ bad."_

"Well," he said, smiling, "Let's eat lunch and then we can look around some more."

They went into a family-style restaurant. After they gave their orders, the girls looked around the busy place and saw the families happily enjoying their meals. They noticed the signs advertising the Mother's Day dinner specials for the following Sunday. They saw the loving smiles those moms present gave their infants in high chairs as they fed them; or as they wiped a young face. Even when a mother was telling an unruly older child to behave, they could see the love. They ate their meals in silence.

Back on the street, they resumed their window-shopping. Buttercup thought she saw a familiar figure heading into a shop. "Hey, isn't that Ms. Bellum?"

"Yeah!" Bubbles could see the words stenciled on the glass window, 'Eau de Toilette'. "But why is she going into a _hardware_ store?"

"No, Bubbles!" Blossom laughed. "It's a perfume store. 'Eau de toilette' is French for perfume. It means 'toilet water'."

"Eeep! I've been putting toilet water on me?"

After the professor explained it to her, she grinned sheepishly and Buttercup said, mockingly, "Gee, _dummy_, even _I_ knew that and I don't even _like _perfume!"

"No, Buttercup. You like _real _toilet water!" Bubbles stuck out her tongue. 

Her sister glared at her as they all laughed. They made their way in the direction of where they had seen their friend Sara. In the windows of most every business they passed were reminders that 'Mother's Day is Next Sunday!', along with their individual pitches for their goods or services, all on the theme of 'show that special lady in your life that you care'. Sara came running out just as they got to that shop.

"Girls! I'm _so_ glad I saw you!"

"Why?" Blossom asked, suddenly alerted. "Is the store being robbed?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that! I just could use your help. I can't decide what to buy!"

So the girls happily went in with her along with the professor, and he smiled as they helped Sara settle on two fragrances. She explained that one was for the Mayor's wife and one was for her mother. After she paid, they all left the store together and said their good-byes.

The Professor noticed that the second their friend was out of sight, the girls seemed to droop. Probably, he thought, because they were sad to see her go. They looked up to the Mayor's assistant a great deal but rarely got to spend much time in her company outside of their 'official' duties. He made a mental note to himself to speak to Ms. Bellum, to perhaps arrange something for the four of them to do together. _"Maybe I can get her to take the girls to see_ 'Spiderman'_"_ he thought, shivering at the idea of himself taking them to see the new smash hit. _"Spiders...yeesh!"_ He asked them which way they wanted to turn at the 'T' intersection up ahead. 

"Can we go that way?" Bubbles said immediately, pointing to the left. "I wanna look at all the pretty flowers!"

There was a good-sized open-air farm and garden market in that block. "Girls?" he inquired. Blossom just shrugged with little enthusiasm. _"At least it won't have any windows with signs screaming at me."_

Buttercup just said, "Whatever."

When they walked in, it was jammed with people, as you'd expect in the middle of the spring planting season. There was every kind of ornamental shrub and tree you could imagine. Tables filled with flats of flowers and ground cover all ready for planting made two long rows with a wide aisle between. The professor saw at the end of the aisle a large easel sign that read, 'Our shipment of Mother's Day plants will be arriving next Saturday at 7:00 AM.' His back was turned to the girls, who were wandering around, Bubbles quite happily indeed, and didn't notice that even Buttercup's spirits had perked up from being around all this new life. He heard Blossom cry out suddenly, 'Ms. Keane! Ms. Keane! Over here!', and he turned to see her waving. Their teacher was just looking up from a display of perennials, and she smiled broadly and waved back, then headed in their direction. It took Bubbles' attention off of the trays of pansies that she was admiring.

"Well, hi, girls! Hello, Professor!"

"Hey, Ms. K!" Buttercup called in return and he greeted her as well. She walked up to them and it looked like she was ready to do some digging, wearing a pair of denim coveralls. They chatted briefly about the nice day and then the teacher asked the girls for a favor.

"What?!" they cried in unison, excited again.

"I can't decide what to plant in my mother's garden for Mother's Day. Maybe you can help me."

"Sure." Blossom said noncommitally. "What are you looking at?"

"Well, she likes any type of garden flower…but she especially loves tulips, only they're about done for the season."

"Why not get her some of both?" Blossom suggested.

"Yeah!" Bubbles agreed. "If you plant pansies now, they'll come out again in the fall! And petunias bloom all summer! She'll be able to look at the pretty colors all year!"

"And every spring when the tulips come up, she'll look at them and remember that it was you who planted them!" Buttercup added.

"Why, Buttercup, what a lovely thought! Girls, I'm going to do exactly that!"

The five chatted pleasantly for a few minutes, then she thanked the girls and bade them goodbye until Monday morning at school. She went to make her purchase.

"Girls, do you see anything you want for our garden?" the professor asked.

"No, Professor." Bubbles replied, rather solemnly. The other two just shook their heads no.

"Can we go home now?" Buttercup asked.

"Home? But we haven't even looked in any clothes stores yet."

"I'm tired of stores." Blossom said grumpily. That startled him. She loved to go shopping the most of the three.

"But girls, it's still early! I thought we could-"

"WE WANNA GO HOME!!"

He jumped back at the sight of their upset expressions, and many in the crowd of shoppers turned their heads. "Well, OK, then, let's head for the-"

They rocketed up and away. 

"…car." He stood, scratching his head, oblivious to being stared at. _"_Now_ what's wrong with them?"_

Unless they had suddenly seen the Powerpuff Signal, that sort of behavior out of them was totally unacceptable. He walked the few blocks to the parking lot, stopping only to call the Mayor's office. No emergencies to report. On the drive home, he tried to find a logical explanation. They _had_ seemed a little down, except for when they had helped out Ms. Bellum and their teacher with their gift decisions. It had been a crime-and-monster-free day so far. Was _that_ what was bothering them? Not enough action? Were they feeling unneeded? Feeling good about themselves only when they were being helpful? 

He hoped not. He wanted them to _enjoy_ their childhood and not be burdened with having to feel responsible all the time. Or maybe that wasn't it at all. Maybe they were bored and wanted to get home to do something 'more fun' than being with him. He'd know the minute he walked in the door, and if he saw them laughing at the TV or playing a video game, well, that sort of rudeness he wouldn't stand for.

__

"Oh, I'm overanalyzing things again! I'll just wait until I see what they're doing."

* * * * * * * * * *

He couldn't have possibly prepared himself for what he saw. When he walked in the door, they were sitting together on the couch. All the blinds had been pulled and the room was dark. No TV. They were holding hands, with Blossom in the middle and Bubbles leaning against her left shoulder.

"Girls?"

They looked up. "Girls, what's wrong?"

Buttercup hopped off the couch and turned away. "I'm goin' upstairs."

"Buttercup, what's bothering you, honey? Buttercup!"

"What?!" she snarled, whipping around. Her fury shocked him.

"Young lady, don't use that tone of voice with me." She looked down at the floor.

"Now sit down, and I want to know what you three are moping about all of a sudden."

Buttercup floated back to sit next to Blossom, who spoke. "It's nothing, Professor. We just got tired of being downtown, that's all." 

"Well, if that's all it was, Blossom, then it was awfully rude of you to run off like that."

"But-"

"But, is right. You're not fooling me, girls. Something's bothering you and I can't help you if you won't tell me. I just don't understand what it could _be_. You _seemed_ perfectly normal, until right after you helped Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane pick out their Mother's Day gi-"

"SHUT UP!!!"

Buttercup's hands were over her ears, her face turning red as she looked at him. 

"Buttercup!"

"I HATE MOTHER'S DAY!! I HATE Y-"

Blossom's hands shot out to cover her sister's mouth before she got the rest out. Buttercup pulled away and flew up the stairs. He heard the bedroom door slamming shut and the loud wailing that began almost immediately. It was quickly muffled as she threw herself face down on the bed.

Bubbles saw his ashen face. "She didn't mean it, Professor!"

"Oh, girls." He slowly sat down where Buttercup had been and put his head in his hands. He looked up at them. Both had tears running down their faces. "Oh, girls, I never even thought-"

"It's OK, Professor." Blossom said with a waver in her voice. "We'll get over it. We just had to get away from there."

"We're sorry!" Bubbles cried. "We didn't wanna make you feel bad! It's not your fault we don't have a mommy to get presents for."

Blossom rubbed her eyes and wiped her hands on her dress. "We understand, Professor, really, we do. It's just that Mother's Day always reminds us that we're not like everybody else. It hurts sometimes."

"But honey, you know that-"

"Yeah, we know you've explained that lots of kids just have a daddy and no mommy…"

"And that sometimes they get 'dopted 'cause their _real _mommy and daddy couldn't take care of 'em."

"And we know that Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane are sorta like mothers to us…what's that word, Professor?"

"Surrogate."

"Yeah. It means they watch out for us like a real mother would."

"But at least everybody _did_ have a _real _mommy once…'cept us." Bubbles looked down sadly.

"I know, sweetie, and it _is_ my fault."

They both cried, "No it isn't!"

"Yes it is…I wanted to do something wonderful for the world, but I never stopped to think about the price you would have to pay."

"No, Professor." Blossom said tearfully, and they hugged him. "We were just feeling sorry for ourselves. We shoulda been more grown-up about it. Buttercup will be OK, too."

Bubbles said, "Let's go talk to her, Blossom."

He stood up. "You two go ahead. I think she might not be ready for me to come up just yet."

The crying from upstairs had already begun to subside. They went on up. He sighed, both relieved and saddened. _He_ was the one who needed to be alone for the time being, to think. His lab was the best place for it.

Once there, he looked around at all the things that he had amassed over the years, and thought about what he had done with them. Yes, he _had _done something wonderful for the world. But in doing so, he had also created beings that, by their very creation, _were_ set apart from the world…_and_ from him. That sense of being connected to something…to someone…to the past, as well as the future…it was something they would never have. And, perhaps, it was what kept them from calling him 'Daddy' instead of that rather impersonal 'Professor'. Though he knew that they loved him, he wondered if they ever really thought of him as their father, or just as the person who 'made' them. Such was the price of his noodling with nature…

His eyes flew open. _"Huh?"_

Maybe he _could_ give them that sense of feeling connected. It was just a fairy tale, but they still believed in Santa and the Easter Bunny. Maybe it would be enough for them until they were older and more mature. Only one way to know…

* * * * * * * * * *

When he walked into their room, his ribs immediately took the brunt of Buttercup's improved spirits. She grabbed him in a hug and apologized for what she'd said. Wiping a tear away from her face, he explained that people said things they didn't mean when they were upset. He saw her sisters smiling at him, and he carried her to the bed where they sat and gently put her down.

"Blossom says we should get Mother's Day presents for Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane, 'cause they're _like _moms to us."

"That's very thoughtful, Blossom, and I'm sure they'll appreciate it…but there's something you girls need to know. Something I've never told you."

"What, Professor?" they asked, sensing they were about to hear something very important.

"Girls…I shouldn't have kept this from you for so long…but you really _do _have a mother, and you can do something very special for her for Mother's Day."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Really?" Bubbles asked for the third time, after he'd told them. They all stared, wide-eyed.

"Professor, that _does_ make sense, after the way you explained it." Blossom said. 

"Now I can't _wait_ for next week!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Professor, why'ntcha tell us this _before_?"

__

"Because I just thought it up."

"Maybe I should have, girls. I really should have seen before this that you were feeling left out. Now, I think I'll leave you three alone to think about what you'd like to do. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

* * * * * * * * * *

"What do you think she'll like?" Blossom asked her sisters.

"I know!" Bubbles replied, all excited.

"Me too." Buttercup said. "When did the garden store say they were getting fresh stuff?"

"Saturday. At seven, I think."

"Great, Blossom! No school! We can be the first ones there!"

With a knowing smile on her face, Blossom's eyes swept over her happy sister, then onto Buttercup. "Yeah, right, Bubbles. Like _you_ two will get up that early!"

Buttercup rarely backed down from a challenge. "I _will!_ Just you _wait!_ And no monsters or bad guys better get in my way!"

Blossom sat up sharply. "Hey, I just thought of somethin'!" She dashed to their desk and took a book out of a drawer, then came back to sit down between her sisters. She flipped through some pages. "My journal." She turned some more pages, then stopped, pointing at that page. "Aha!" 

"What, Blossom?"

"Last year, the week before Mother's Day, it was real slow. And _on_ Mother's Day, we didn't get a single call!" While her sisters expressed surprise, she flipped back through the book. "Same thing the year before, too!"

"Wow. That makes sense, Blossom." Buttercup stared at her sister. "I guess even monsters have moms, too."

"Yeah. Weren't _we_ being selfish. We should be _thankful._"

Bubbles didn't like feeling bad so she wanted to change the mood. "Girls, what do you think Him gets _his_ mom for Mother's Day?" 

"Boy, Bubbles, that's a tough one. What _do_ you get for the mother of evil?"

"Easy, Blossom." Buttercup grinned. "Something _he_ could wear _too!_"

In the kitchen, Professor Utonium heard the mad giggling coming from upstairs and he smiled, confident that he'd turned them around.

* * * * * * * * * *

In spite of the decrease in crime that week, the time didn't pass as slowly as the girls had feared it would. Every evening they worked toward their goal for the weekend. Blossom drew up the plans. Buttercup made a list of their ideas of what exactly to get. Bubbles made cut-out animals from construction paper and carefully threaded string through small holes at the top, for hanging. All three made crayon drawings and did the same thing with the string.

After a distress call one afternoon, they stopped by Townsville Hall to ask Ms. Bellum if she'd be in the office on Saturday. She would. They asked Ms. Keane if she could give them some gardening tips, or maybe even they could help with planting what she had gotten for her mother. She thanked them for the offer, but told them the work was already done and her mother loved what the girls had picked out. But she also told them that she would be puttering in her own garden on Saturday, and they were welcome to come by anytime.

Everything was set. That Saturday, her sisters were true to their word and beat Blossom in getting ready. The professor hadn't been crazy about going out that early, but he felt it was the least he could do. Turned out to be a good thing, because there was a line of people waiting to get in when the market opened at seven. Still, they had no trouble getting everything on their list, and they were finished and the car loaded by eight. Plenty of time to have a nice breakfast and watch through the diner window the shoppers passing on the street outside. A quick stop at the perfume store to get the same thing Sara had liked, and they were off to Townsville Hall to show their appreciation for the role their friend played in their lives. She was deeply touched, and even the professor got a hug. 

When they pulled up in front of Ms. Keane's house, she _was_ already puttering in the lovely garden in her side yard. It was blazing with color from many different varieties of flowers. She hurried out to greet them and was amazed by what she saw in the back of the car.

"My, girls, you certainly _are _ambitious!"

"Can you teach us how to plant them?"

Ms. Keane shot a grin at the professor. "Oh, I don't think you need _my_ help, Blossom. I'm sure the professor knows what to do."

He shot her a wink back. "Oh, no, Ms. Keane, go right ahead. I don't have much of a green thumb, I'm afraid."

Bubbles looked up at him. "That's not true, Profess-"

Buttercup elbowed her and whispered, "Shut up, dummy! That's not what we're here for!"

She saw Blossom frowning at her, too. "Oh yeah!" she said with a sheepish grin.

Trying to recover, Blossom picked up two trays of marigolds, one the traditional gold and the other a mix of colors of the French variety.

"Can we start with these, Ms. Keane?" Her sisters helped her to hold them out to show.

"Marigolds! My, those _are _pretty. I should have thought to get some for my garden."

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MS. KEANE!"

"Where do you want us to plant 'em, Ms. Keane?" Bubbles asked, bright-eyed.

"For _me_? Oh, girls, thank you so much!" She took the flowers and set them on the ground, then knelt and gave each girl a big hug. "But how did you know I didn't have any of these? I have just about everything else…"

"Magnification at ten thousand feet." Buttercup said with a sly grin.

"Oh, yes…I forgot about that…well, if you really want to help me put them in…"

She led them to the garden, where she quickly explained to them how deep and how far apart the plants should go. She thought they'd make a nice border in front of the other flowers. The girls went busily to work with the tools she got for them, and she told them she and the professor would go get them some refreshments. Once inside, he explained to her what had happened the previous Saturday, and how his little story had seemed to do the trick. He thanked her for being such an important part of their lives. She replied that she was deeply touched and honored by their, and his, appreciation, and that she hoped to remain part of their lives long after they had left kindergarten. They took the drinks outside. The flowers were all in.

__

"They must have used their superpowers." 

"Girls, they look beautiful!"

"Thanks to you, Ms. K., it was easy!" Buttercup told her.

With a wink at the professor, she said, "Well, I'm sure your _real_ mother is going to _very_ impressed tomorrow. But girls, I can't tell you what it means to me that you think of me as a surrogate mother, and I'll always be here for you."

Another exchange of hugs, then they all enjoyed their refreshments, admiring the beauty of the flower garden and the morning itself.

* * * * * * * * * *

It rained that night, a cold wind blowing a storm in off the ocean. The forecast for Sunday wasn't very promising, either. But when they awoke Mother's Day morning, it wasn't raining. By the time they had eaten breakfast and dressed appropriately in their tiny denim outfits and spring jackets in their favorite colors, the sky had cleared a bit.

They brought everything out of the garage where they'd put it and laid it all on the ground. A southeasterly breeze had come up and pushed the clouds back out over the ocean, and if it stayed like this, Mother's Day was going to be nice and warm. Already, things were drying out from the rains. The sun would create a new burst of activity in the few unopened buds of the flowering shrubs, and trees whose leaves had yet to come out. The soil would be easy to work with.

Blossom looked around and said, "Well, that's everything, except for-"

"Yeah, where _are_ those guys?" Buttercup complained. "They said they'd have the tree here by _nine!_"

The tree they'd picked out was too big to fit in the car, and the nursery owner had promised to deliver it. Bubbles had admired its perfect shape and beauty but Blossom told her it was too big, that they wanted one they could watch grow from a sapling.

"That's what _everybody_ says." The owner had overheard them. "I've had it for two years and I can't repot it again. I guess I'll just have to turn it into mulch."

"No!" Bubbles had shrieked, and gone up to wrap her arms around it. "Why?!"

"As much as I'd like to see everything I sell get planted, I'm in business. I can't afford to just give things away. In fact, when I first opened this year, I had a sign on it offering it free, but no one wanted to pay the delivery charge."

"Hey, we can just _fly _it home _ourselves!_" Buttercup had said.

"No, Buttercup." Blossom had replied. "He'd still be losing money. It wouldn't be right."

"Yeah, and the tree feels bad enough already that nobody wants it." Bubbles had said. She'd looked up at the man and asked, "If we pay you for the tree, will you deliver it for free?"

"That would work." the man had answered with a smile. "I couldn't let you take it by yourselves anyway, for insurance reasons."

Now, Blossom looked up and saw the professor coming out. She asked him what time it was. 

"Ten to nine, girls."

"Oops." Buttercup grinned.

* * * * * * * * * *

One of the girls could have easily lifted the ten-foot tree off the dump truck, but the driver insisted that the winch be used. Now, it was sitting next to the large hole they had dug in the yard, and Blossom untied the burlap around the roots. They got it in the hole, added the right amount of fertilizer and water, filled in the dirt and watered some more. It would grow into a magnificent-looking tree, providing many enjoyable hours of sitting in the shade under its branches as they grew along with it.

Professor Utonium watched from a lawn chair, sipping his coffee and giving them instructions. Around the base of the tree, they planted a circle of pachysandra for a ground cover. They dug a bed along one edge of the yard for flowers, and they planted tulip and daffodil bulbs toward the back, filling in the front with annual flowers. The pansies Bubbles loved so much, along with many other species. At several other points around the yard's perimeter, in went different varieties of roses and a bed of peonies.

When all the planting was finished they changed their clothes, to their usual dresses. They came back out with their hand-crafted decorations. From the branches of the tree they hung them with the attached strings. They hung the bunnies, squirrels, birds, butterflies and lady bugs that Bubbles had cut out and decorated, and they put up the pictures that each of them had drawn. They were scenes of more wildlife, both flora and fauna, and each girl had drawn their own renderings of what they imagined their mother looked like. On them, they had written in crayon the words, 'Thank you, Mother Nature!', 'We love you, Mother Nature!', and 'Happy Mother's Day!'.

The girls stepped back and proudly showed off their work. "Whaddaya think, Professor?"

He imagined that, if there really _were_ a Mother Nature, that the scene before him would be like Mother's Day and Christmas rolled into one for her, with that decorated tree. He wiped away a tear born of pride in his girls, mixed with sadness and regret for his little 'fib'. Still, it _had _gotten them through the crisis, and he hoped it would carry them through their childhood to the day when they could deal with the reality that they _were_ denied what everyone else had, because of him.

"It's beautiful, girls."

"Do you think she'll like it?" Bubbles asked, somewhat anxious.

Standing up, he said, "Yes, honey, she's going to _love_ it. Now, I think I'll leave you three alone with her for a few minutes, and I'll bring you back some cocoa. It's a little chilly out here."

* * * * * * * * * *

The minute he disappeared inside, Buttercup's smile also disappeared. Blossom saw it and asked, "What's wrong, Buttercup? Don't tell me you think the professor just wanted to make us feel better and that he was _lying_?" That very thought had just occurred to her.

"No, Blossom. I believe him 'cause we _are_ made out of natural stuff, just like he said. I'm just kinda sad 'cause we can't see her."

That made Bubbles feel sad. "And we'll never know if we made her happy."

"But you have, girls."

They gasped at the sound and turned to see a woman standing just feet away from them. At first she seemed to shimmer and glow as if an aura surrounded her, then it faded away and she looked _very _real, but unlike anything they had ever seen. Like they had done so many times before, Blossom started a sentence and Bubbles finished it.

"Are you really…"

"Mother…"

"Nature?!"

"Yes, girls, and you have made me _very _happy."

Her hair was gold, _real _gold spun as fine as silk, and it flowed over her shoulders in front, down to her waist. Flowers intertwined with the golden strands. Her white robe was decorated with every precious gemstone imaginable, and the morning sun sparkled on the many facets. Wrapped around her shoulders was a shawl woven entirely of rose petals. Her eyes were ocean blue and appeared just as deep, as if you could enter them and sail forever without reaching shore. Her skin, copper in color as if deeply tanned, gave off its own sheen. Her feet were bare, for nothing in her domain could harm them. The girls were awestruck, for though the vision was human in form yet strangely inhuman, there was no denying the creature's beauty. 

"No you're not!" Buttercup suddenly barked. "You're one of Him's illusions!"

"No! Look!" Bubbles cried, and all around them, wildlife appeared as if from nowhere, surrounding the woman. She turned her radiant smile upon the rabbits, squirrels and a woodchuck or two that gathered at her feet. The animals seemed to gaze up at her with a reverent understanding of who she was. Cardinals, blue jays, robins and more, and dozens of many-colored butterflies and other small flying insects appeared, and when she raised her outstretched arms to them, they landed. One rascally squirrel scampered up and perched itself on her head. It didn't seem to bother her. The girls knew that their most feared enemy _could_ fool people, but that innocent wildlife had an extra sense about evil things and would run.

"Whoa….."

She bade them come forward, and they floated up to her. To their astonishment, the animals just moved aside for them, and she took them into her arms. She smelled like a fresh-mown meadow, the air after a thunderstorm, even the new earth they had just turned over an hour before; and a hundred other wonderful smells all rolled into one. Open-mouthed, they gaped up into her face.

"Yes, I _am _real. I just very rarely show myself to mortals. I haven't done it in centuries. But you see, girls, though I am mother to all living things, even all of the world's people, you three are very special to me. Though you are young and will make mistakes from time to time, you show your love for me every single day. When I saw why you were feeling down, I wanted you to see me one time so you'll never have to feel that way ever again."

Blossom, ever duty-conscious, asked, "Um, what mistakes, so we don't make them again?"

Mother Nature smiled at her. "You shouldn't worry yourself about it, Blossom. As long as your hearts are pure, any mistakes you make will always be small ones. But here's a few tips for you…if you ever have to break open another giant pinata, Blossom…grab a light pole instead of a tree."

"Oops!"

"And Bubbles, don't try to teach the squirrels Spanish. It confuses them."

"Hee hee…sorry!"

Buttercup grinned nervously. "Uh…"

"And you, Buttercup…no matter _how _annoyed you may get with Bubbles, her flower drawings are _not_ stupid!"

"Um, Mother Nature?" Bubbles looked up shyly. "If you're our mother and the professor's our daddy, do think maybe…?"

"Bubbles!" her sisters cried in embarrassment. 

Mother Nature laughed, a laugh as crystal clear and pure as a mountain stream. "Well, Bubbles, he _is _cute, for a mortal, but he's not my type. But girls, he knew what he was doing and I'm just as proud of him as I am of you. He chose his ingredients wisely."

Buttercup stared. "We got our superpowers from _you_?"

"No, dear, that _was_ unexpected…and quite a surprise to my 'extended family'. You should have seen the look on the faces of Old Man Winter and Jack Frost the day you discovered your ice power, Blossom."

"Girls!" They heard the professor's voice from inside the house. "Cocoa's almost ready!"

With alarm, Mother Nature said, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be seen. I'm afraid I have to go, girls." But she didn't release them just yet.

Bubbles expressed the sadness they all felt. "Will we ever see you again?"

"Not like this, I'm afraid…it's too difficult, because I have the whole world to watch over…but girls, just remember that every time you see one of nature's wonders, you _will_ be seeing me, and I will be watching over you … and always remember that I love you very much."

Now, she let them go with a kiss on each of their foreheads, and they responded by squeezing her tightly. "We love you too, Mother Nature!"

They finally let go, and with a signal from her that went unseen by them, the animals and insects gently moved away but did not flee.

"Thank you again for your gift, girls." she said as the aura surrounded her once more and she began to shimmer. "There's one more thing I want to tell you."

They eagerly awaited her words. "I'm going to answer one of the questions you've always wondered about…on the day you were born and you knew what your names were…they were my gift to you. And beautiful names they are. They fit you so well. Goodbye, my children."

With those last words, she faded from their sight. In silence, they looked to each other, then all around them, saw the flora they had added to the landscape and the fauna that had come from nowhere, and finally back to each other. No, it had _not _been a dream. They met as a group and exchanged a silent hug.

"Come and get it!"

"Professor!" 

He, the tray and the mugs of cocoa went flying as they flew into him. They shouted excitedly over one another.

"Professor! You were telling the truth!"

"Yeah! She's real! We _do _have a mom!"

"And she's so _beautiful!_"

Dazed, he looked up from the ground with them clinging to him. "Wha-? What're you talking about, girls?"

"Mother Nature, just like you said!" Buttercup cried out happily.

Blossom pointed. "We were talking to her _right there,_ Professor!"

"See, Professor?" Bubbles also pointed. "All the animals came up to her and they weren't 'fraid at all and they're _still here!_"

Indeed they were, and that he couldn't explain. But seeing the girls' reaction, he wondered, _"Maybe I carried this too far."_

Out of nowhere, a voice like an angel's whispered to him, _"No, dear, you handled it perfectly." _

Something unseen and cool touched his face, and what felt like a kiss brushed against his cheek. In an instant, the birds and insects scattered about the yard and the rabbits and woodchucks scampered for their homes. The squirrels raced each other up the tree the girls had just put there…Mother Nature's present.

Groaning, he shook his head to clear it and saw the rapture on the faces of his daughters. He smiled down at them and said, "I told you she was going to love it."

They squeezed him even tighter. "Thank you, Professor!"

Buttercup looked up at him. "From now on, _every_ day is Mother's Day for us!"

Blossom looked at her green-eyed sister, then at Bubbles, and their expressions seemed to him to give her permission to speak for all of them.

"Professor," she asked, "is it OK if we start calling you Daddy?"

The End 

Story written May 2-5, 2002   



End file.
